Mr. Butters, Mr. Colfer, and Mr. Wilkens form an epic Social Studies trifecta #squadgoals. In the English department, co-conspirators Mr. Moloney and Mr. Ryan act as if they both bike to school (in reality they carpool in Mr. Ryan’s gas-guzzling Suburban, a popular vehicle for many Marblehead Moms). Even the Foreign Language teachers communicate through an indecipherable code, fluent Spanish or French respectively. What if there was an opportunity to bridge these chasms between the A, B, C, and confusing D/E wings of MHS? Would teachers take a leap of faith and risk it all for education?
In the 2019-20 school year, MHS will be offering its first ever Students With Interim Teacher Colleague Home Exchange Rewarding Others Organization, better known as SWITCHEROO. SWITCHEROO is a year-long inter-teacher trade that will inspire the exploration of classrooms only 100 feet away, but worlds apart in culture. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will allow teachers to connect with their co-workers from other departments, all while immersing themselves in the foreign, and frankly strange, practices of another subject. Participants will also take control of the clubs that their counterpart advises, so potentially, next year’s musical will be directed by Mr. Giardi, while the football team could be coached by Ms. Skeffington. With SWITCHEROO, the possibilities are often outlandish, and always unorthodox.
One math teacher interested in next year’s SWITCHEROO program is already anxious to trade in his protractor for the regulation swim team speedo. “I love my job, but I’ve always been interested in the aquatic arts – it’s not that big of a leap to go from fractions to freestyle. I’m ready to jump right in at the deep end.” Another intrigued science teacher is more focused on the academic transition. “Shakespeare has always had a soft spot in my heart. In Chemistry, you don’t get to ask, ‘To be or not to be.’ It’s more like, ‘To metal or nonmetal.’”
Even Principal Bauer is excited for his own SWITCHEROO moment, and staff members can only hope to receive his coveted role of walking in and out of classrooms asking, “How’s everyone doing?” As for Bauer, he hopes to try his hand at the culinary arts, serving signature, bespoke, vegan, organic, farm to table, free-range, non-GMO chocolate chip cookies (find the recipe’s in next month’s issue).
High school is naturally cliquey. There will always be the athletes, and the overachievers, and the theater kids. Students can never be completely united, but with a positive example from staff, MHS can become a more interconnected community once and for all. So teachers, are you ready to SWITCHEROO?